Life Wisdom

Twelve minutes a day, 365 days a year, Life Wisdom encapsulates the essential messages from Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s talks to Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide. In this daily program, the Master shares with the audience her views on major world events, Tzu Chi’s work around the globe, inspiring stories of people and events, as well as the Buddha’s teachings and how they can be practiced in everyday life.

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Stories Told by Dharma Master Cheng Yen

A production of ink-wash animation,Stories Told by Dharma Master Cheng Yen features the Master telling folktales or stories from Buddhist scriptures and concluding each episode with her words that offer the audience much food for thought. With captivating storylines and lifelike animated images, the program is welcomed by viewers both young and old alike.

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Wisdom at Dawn

Hailed as the king of all sutras, the Lotus Sutra contains the true Dharma expounded by the Buddha in his later years. In the Sutra, the Buddha affirms that all living beings can attain Buddhahood and encourages everyone to walk the Bodhisattva Path by benefiting others. Listen to Master Cheng Yen expounding the Lotus Sutra in Wisdom at Dawn and bathe in the Dharma bliss of one of the most important and influential teachings of the Buddha.

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Essence of the Bodhi Mind

Essence of the Bodhi Mind is a weekly program that explores various topics from world events, social and environmental problems, to interpersonal relations, family issues, and more. Twenty-four minutes an episode, the program not only presents actual examples to illustrate the topic of the week, but also pinpoints the views of Dharma Master Cheng Yen, experts and scholars on the topic for viewers to reflect upon and derive insights from.

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Life Wisdom

Working for the Common Good with Firm Conviction

In July 2018, Tzu Chi sent a medical team to Jordan to hold free clinics for Syrian refugees and the local people in need…

Inspiring More People to Walk the Bodhisattva Path

September 10 is an important day in Tzu Chi’s history…

Cultivating Blessings Together and Alleviating Sufferings with Love

In late June 2018, Tzu Chi volunteers in Kunshan, China started to hold…

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Mushroom GratinMushroom GratinMushroom Gratin

Mushroom GratinMushroom GratinMushroom Gratin

Mushroom GratinIngredients: 20g dried shiitake mushrooms 50g white mushrooms 80g abalone mushrooms 100g milk 50g shredded cheese 5g rosemary 15g basil 10g pumpkin seed oil 5g salt Directions: Chop abalone mushrooms, white mushrooms and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms;...

Flaxseed Patty with CheeseFlaxseed Patty with Cheese

Flaxseed Patty with CheeseFlaxseed Patty with Cheese

Flaxseed Patty with CheeseIngredients: 50g ground flaxseed and quinoa powder 30g celery 30g king oyster mushrooms 50g shredded cheese 5g salt Directions: Dice the king oyster mushrooms and mince the celery. Make dough with ground flaxseed, salt and 120cc hot water....

Mashed Pumpkin with CornMashed Pumpkin with Corn

Mashed Pumpkin with CornMashed Pumpkin with Corn

Mashed Pumpkin with CornIngredients: 150g pumpkins 1 kiwifruit 60g sweet corns 40g raisins 15g crushed nuts Blueberries 15g brown sugar Directions: Stir-fry crushed nuts until fragrant. Dice kiwifruit and chop raisins. Steam pumpkins until cooked. Heat in a pan while...

Stories Told  by
Dharma Master Cheng Yen

The Purple Golden Alms Bowl

The Purple Golden Alms Bowl

In Ming Dynasty, there was an elderly monk who was very well cultivated. When the king of hell noticed that the monk's life should have come to an end, he sent two hell wardens to bring the monk back to hell…

The Boy Who Found the Wellspring

The Boy Who Found the Wellspring

A little faith goes a long way. This is a story of a little boy whose faith saved the people in his village from dying of drought.

The Loving Spiritual Cultivator

The Loving Spiritual Cultivator

A spiritual cultivator went to the mountains and sat down to meditate. As he sat there, a mother bird came and laid eggs on the long hair he piled up on top of his head…

Words of Wisdom for Life

Do You Get Angry Easily?

We often hear people say, "He is a good person. It's just that he has a quick temper." When we lose our temper, we look ugly and leave a bad impression on others. So, getting angry is actually punishing ourselves with the mistakes of others. It's like temporary insanity. Who will suffer because of that?

The Chipped Cup

If a cup is chipped and we ignore the chipped part, it is still a perfect cup. It's the same with people. When we don't focus on faults, we'll see only the good in others.

Do You Like to Speak Ill of Others?

When we try to throw a handful of sand at others against the wind, who will get the sand? We do, because the wind will blow the sand back to us. Speaking ill of others is just the same. When we slander people, we tarnish our character and end up harming ourselves only.

Don’t Fuss or Compare

In life, we should not fuss over petty things or compare with others. If we fuss, we might end up losing everything. And if we like to compare with others, we'd often feel dissatisfied and resentful. So, fussing and comparing are two things that we should never do.

The Chipped Cup

If a cup is chipped and we ignore the chipped part, it is still a perfect cup. It's the same with people. When we don't focus on faults, we'll see only the good in others.

Do You Like to Speak Ill of Others?

When we try to throw a handful of sand at others against the wind, who will get the sand? We do, because the wind will blow the sand back to us. Speaking ill of others is just the same. When we slander people, we tarnish our character and end up harming ourselves only.

Don't Fuss or Compare

In life, we should not fuss over petty things or compare with others. If we fuss, we might end up losing everything. And if we like to compare with others, we'd often feel dissatisfied and resentful. So, fussing and comparing are two things that we should never do.

Do You Get Angry Easily?

We often hear people say, "He is a good person. It's just that he has a quick temper." When we lose our temper, we look ugly and leave a bad impression on others. So, getting angry is actually punishing ourselves with the mistakes of others. It's like temporary insanity. Who will suffer because of that?
Words of Wisdom for Life

The Chipped Cup

Once, Master Cheng Yen shared a story:

There was one time when a volunteer was serving me tea. When I was going to take the cup, she held on to it. So I asked, "Is anything wrong?" And she replied, "I'm sorry. I just saw that the cup is chipped." I examined the cup and said: "It looks like a fine cup to me."

Indeed, if we don't focus on the chipped part, it's still a perfect cup. It's the same with people. When we don't focus on faults, we'll see only the good in others.

Look from a different angle and you'll find beauty in imperfection.

Do You Like to Speak Ill of Others?

When we try to throw a handful of sand at others against the wind, who will get the sand? When we do that, the wind will blow the sand back to us, not to the others in front of us. So, when we slander or speak ill of others, we tarnish our character and end up harming ourselves only.

Speaking ill of others is like throwing sand against the wind—it will come back at us.

"I was cheated out of 500 million NT dollars," said a businessman. "You are so wealthy. Congratulations!" replied Dharma Master Cheng Yen. "It's hard to make 500 million dollars!" "Maybe you owed someone that much money in one of your previous lives, and you're only paying him back now." "No, I did not!" "Then congratulations again! When you come back the next life, there'll be 500 million dollars waiting for you."
"Why does everyone look down on me?" "It's because you consider yourself a 'heavyweight.' Just like sitting on a seesaw, the heavier one will go down, and the one high up will have to 'look down' at his playmate."
Some people are very sensitive to the things others do or say. "Do not be a vacuum cleaner and suck up dust and dirt into your hearts. That will only make you suffer," advised Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
Ego is like a balloon. The bigger it gets, the easier you'll get carried away by it.
"Why does everyone look down on me?" "It's because you consider yourself a 'heavyweight.' Just like sitting on a seesaw, the heavier one will go down, and the one high up will have to 'look down' at his playmate."
"I was cheated out of 500 million NT dollars," said a businessman. "You are so wealthy. Congratulations!" replied Dharma Master Cheng Yen. "It's hard to make 500 million dollars!" "Maybe you owed someone that much money in one of your previous lives, and you're only paying him back now." "No, I did not!" "Then congratulations again! When you come back the next life, there'll be 500 million dollars waiting for you."
Ego is like a balloon. The bigger it gets, the easier you'll get carried away by it.
Some people are very sensitive to the things others do or say. "Do not be a vacuum cleaner and suck up dust and dirt into your hearts. That will only make you suffer," advised Dharma Master Cheng Yen.
"I was cheated out of 500 million NT dollars," said a businessman. "You are so wealthy. Congratulations!" replied Dharma Master Cheng Yen. "It's hard to make 500 million dollars!" "Maybe you owed someone that much money in one of your previous lives, and you're only paying him back now." "No, I did not!" "Then congratulations again! When you come back the next life, there'll be 500 million dollars waiting for you."
"I was cheated out of 500 million NT dollars," said a businessman. "You are so wealthy. Congratulations!" replied Dharma Master Cheng Yen. "It's hard to make 500 million dollars!" "Maybe you owed someone that much money in one of your previous lives, and you're only paying him back now." "No, I did not!" "Then congratulations again! When you come back the next life, there'll be 500 million dollars waiting for you."